US 4,987,897 A · Body bus medical device communication system

Abstract

A system intended for being at least partly implanted into a living body and comprising at least two modules or devices which are interconnected by a communication transmission channel, at least one of said modules being provided with transmitting and receiving means for a bidirectional exchange of information with at least one further module and at least one other module of which being provided at least with receiving means or transmitting means for receiving information from at least one further module or for transmitting information to at least one further module, respectively. Within the intracorporal region, said communication transmission channel is wireless. It includes the ion medium of the intra and extracellular body liquids and provides for an electrolytic-galvanic coupling between two or more implantable modules and/or between at least one implantable module and external skin electrodes intended for connection to an external module. The exchange of information is effected by modulated medium frequency signals in the frequency range from 10 to 100 kHz which signals are passed through said communication transmission channel.

Claims31

Dependent claims

In a system for monitoring a condition of a living body and/or providing one or more therapy regimens to the body comprising two or more discrete medical devices, at least one of which is implanted into the living body, the improvement for providing bidirectional exchange of information between said medical devices comprising:

means associated with at least one of said medical devices for providing a first information signal representing a condition of the device and/or the living body;
means for transforming said first information signal into a modulated medium frequency signal in the frequency range from 10 to 100 kHz;
means for applying said modulated medium frequency signal to the ion medium of the intra and extracellular body liquids for providing an electrolytic/galvanic coupling between said two or more medical devices whereby said signals are passed through said living body between said medical devices;
and
means associated with at least the other of the two medical devices for receiving and demodulating said modulated medium frequency signal.

2 more elements

A system for monitoring a condition of a living body and/or providing one or more therapy regimens to the body comprising two or more discrete medical devices, at least one of which is a digitally programmable, implantable medical device and the other is an external medical device for digitally programming said implantable medical device wherein said implantable medical device is provided with:

a pair of spaced apart electrodes adapted to be exposed to living body tissue and fluids;
receiving means for receiving electrical signals across said electrodes;
decoding means for decoding said electrical signals;
and
register means for storing said decoded electrical signals;
and
wherein said digital programming device further comprises:
a pair of electrodes adapted to be placed against the external surface of the living body;
coding means for coding a desired program change into digital code;
and
transmitting means for modulating said programmed digital code and applying it to said external pair of electrodes whereby said modulated, coded signal is applied through the skin and living body tissue to said implantable pair of electrodes.

8 more elements

A system for providing pacing, cardioversion and defibrillation staged therapies for bradycardia, tachycardia and fibrillation comprising:

a body implantable pacemaker comprising:
pacing energy pulse generator means for applying pacing stimuli to a patient's heart;
pacing lead means bearing at least one electrode means adapted to be placed in contact with or within a patient's heart and coupled to said pulse generator means for applying said pacing stimuli to the patient's heart and receiving electrical signals appearing at the tissue-electrode interface;
sensing means coupled to said electrode means for sensing electrical signals appearing at said electrode means;
detecting means responsive to said sensing means for detecting a bradyarrhythmia, tachyarrhythmia or ventricular fibrillation condition of the heart of the patient;
and
control means responsive to said detecting means for instructing said pulse generator means to provide pacing stimuli to said pacing electrode means in response to the detection of a bradyarrhythmia or tachyarrhythmia condition and to provide a modulated medium frequency signal in the frequency range from 10 to 100 kHz to said pacing electrode means in response to the detection of a ventricular fibrillation condition;
and
a remotely implanted defibrillator further comprising:
defibrillation pulse generator means for generating defibrillation shocks;
defibrillation electrode means adapted to be placed in contact with a patient's heart for providing said defibrillation shocks to the heart and for picking up electrical signals appearing at the electrode-tissue interface;
receiving means coupled to said defibrillation electrode means for demodulating said modulated medium frequency signal transmitted into body tissue by said pacemaker pulse generator;
and
means responsive to a demodulated shock instruction signal for causing said defibrillation pulse generator means to provide a shock across said defibrillation electrode means and to the heart.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Body bus medical device communication system

Life of this patent

Body bus medical device communication system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims31